Hair-slide

ABSTRACT

This hair-slide of the type comprising a bridge possibly provided with decorative means on its outer face, a snap-fastener and a spring strip disposed between the bridge and snap fastener, is provided at the end of said bridge which is opposite to the bridge end pivoted to said snap-fastener with fixed hooking means adapted to be resiliently engaged by the free end of said snapfastener in the closed position thereof, a resiliently movable locking member normally retained in its locking position and adapted to engage the aforesaid end of said fastener in the zone of said hook means, so as to lock said snap-fastener in its closed position. (Figure 3).

United States Patent Morand et al.

[541 HAIR-SLIDE '[72] Inventors: Gilles Morand, Rue Dunand; MarcGiraudon, l-lLM Domagne, both of Ceyzeriat, France [22] Filed: March 12,1971 [21] Appl.No.: 123,784

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data March 13, 1970 France ..701135552 US. Cl ..l32/46 A, 24/248 HC 51 Int. Cl. ..A45d 8/00 [58] Field ofSearch.....132/46 A, 48 R, 46 R, 50, 37, 132/139; 24/248 l-lC; 128/325,337

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,354,236 9/1920 Bour..l32/48 R 2,567,503 9/1951 Arsenault "24/248 l-lC (Figure 3).

a 'IIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, I

[15 3,704,717 Dec. 5,1972

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 456,850 4/1950 Italy ..l32/46.l

Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeillAttorney-Waters, Roditi, Schwartz & Nissen [57] ABSTRACT This hair-slideof the type comprising a bridge possibly provided with decorative meanson its outer face, a snap-fastener and a spring strip disposed betweenthe bridge and snap fastener, is provided at the end of said bridgewhich is opposite to the bridge end pivoted to said snap-fastener withfixed hooking means adapted to be resiliently engaged by the free end ofsaid snapfastener in the closed position thereof, a resiliently movablelocking member normally "retained in its locking position and adapted toengage the aforesaid end of said fastener in the zone of said hookmeans, so as to lock said snap-fastener in its closed position.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDnsc 51912 FIGA FIGS FIG.6

HAIR-SLIDE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates tohair-slides of the end of the fastener.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In hitherto known hair-slides of this typethe hooking means are objectionable in that they tend to pinch the hair;moreover, they are fragile and have a relatively short useful life;finally, their mode of operation is scarcely reliable and/or theirstructure is rather complicated so that their manufacturing cost isstill relatively high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the essential object of the presentinvention to avoid all these inconveniences by providing a hair-slide ofthe type broadly set forth hereinabove, wherein the bridge end oppositeto that pivoted to the snap-fastener carries fixed hooking means adaptedto be resiliently engaged by the free end of the fastener in the closedposition thereof, a locking member resiliently movable and normally heldin its locking position being also provided for engaging the relevantend of said snapfastener in the zone of the aforesaid hooking means soas to lock the slide in its closed position.

With this arrangement the hair-slide is opened by simply moving saidlocking member against the resilient force of the means supporting thismember.

According to a preferred form of embodiment of this invention, thesnap-fastener consists of a wire of resilient material such as metal,bent to a hairpin configuration at its fulcrum end pivoted to saidbridge, the free ends of the branches of said wire, which correspond tothe free end of the hair-slide, being capped by an end piece permettinga slight transverse movement of said ends towards each other, and viceversa, said hooking means, consisting of a pair of fixed hooks facingeach other, the relative spacing of their beaks being slightly inferiorto the maximum width of the snap-fastener, said locking memberconsisting of a bracing member of a width corresponding substantially tothe maximum width of the gap existing between the two branches of thehairpin-shaped snap-fastener said locking member being carried by springmeans normally maintaining said hairpin at the level of said hooks andadapted to be moved against the resilient force of said spring meanstowards said bridge to permit the engagement of said hooks by saidfastener and their release therefrom.

To permit the automatic opening of the slide, on the one hand, thesnap-fastener is so shaped that it cannot be brought to its closedposition unless a slight elastic deformation thereof is produced bydepressing same in the direction tending to open the fastener, and onthe other hand the beaks of said hooks are so shaped that when thelocking member is in its retracted position said beaks cannot retain thefastener against the elastic force tending to open same.

According to a specific form of embodiment of the invention the lockingmember is carried by the relevant end of the hair-slide spring stripprovided at this end with an extension constituting the means foractuating said locking member. I

According to a simplified form of embodiment of this invention, thehooks are cut ina lug consisting of the relevant end of said bridgewhich is bent inwardly on itself, an aperture being formed at the baseof said lug to permit the passage and movement therein of said springstrip extension supporting said locking member.

According to an advantageous form of embodiment the elastic force actingupon the snap-fastener in its closed position for opening same isprovided by a portion thereof bent substantially at right angles andlocated near its pivoted end; this bent portion is adapted to pivot inan opening formed in the bearing element in which said snap-fastener isfulcrumed, and to abute against the support of said bearing when thesnap-fastener is moved to its closed position and before this positionis attained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In any case the invention will bebetter understood as the following description proceeds with referenceto the attached drawings illustrating diagrammatically by way of examplea typical form of embodiment of the hair-slide according to thisinvention. In' the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view from above showing the device in its closedposition;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line II-II of F IG.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the device in its opencondition:

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line lV-IV of FIG. 2; FIG. 5is another cross section taken along the line V-V of F IG. 2, and

FIG. 6 is a cross section similar to FIG. 5 but showing the lockingmember in its retracted position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT v The hair-slide illustrated isof the type comprising a bridge 2, a snap-fastener 3 and, a spring strip4. The bridge 2 consists essentially of a curved plate carrying at oneend a bearing 5 for pivoting the snap-fastener 3 and at the opposite endmeans 6 for hooking the free end of snap-fastener and retain the latterin its closed position. Moreover, the bridge 2 comprises at either endlugs 7 and 8 respectively, for securing a decorative or like plate orelement not shown in the drawing.

The snap-fastener 3 consists of a round-sectionned metal wire bent to ahair pin configuration at the end thereof which is to be pivotallymounted in bearing 5, the free ends of this snap-fastener being cappedby an end piece 9 similar to the cap carried by safety pins andpermitting a slight transverse movement of the two branches of fastener3 towards and away from each other.

To obtain an elastic force tending to open the snap fastener 3 when thelatter is closed the central portion of bearing 5 comprises an aperture5a and in alignment with this aperture 5a the round-sectioned wireconstituting the fastener 3 comprises a substantially semicircular loop11 bent substantially at right angles and IM 02 R4 adapted to engage thelug 12 of bridge 2 which supports the bearing 5 when the fastener 3 ispivoted in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 2) and before this fastenerhas attained its closed position. Consequently, the mere fact ofpressing the fastener 3 towards its closed position will generate areturn force tending to open same, as a result of its elasticdeformation.

The hooking means 6 for retaining the free end of snap-fastener 3 in itsclosed position consist of a pair of fixed hooks 13 associated with alocking member l4.

These hooks are cut in a lug bent at right angles in the end portion ofbridge 2; their beaks 13a registering with each other are spaded by adistance slightly inferior to the maximum width of the two branches offastener 3, whereby to assume their hooking position as illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 5. these two branches of fastener 3 must be moved towardseach other. In addition, the bottoms of the notches of said hooks 13 areadapted to receive the branches of fastener 3 in their maximum spread ofdivergent position, as clearly shown in FIG. 5.

The locking member 14 consists of a distance-piece of a widthcorresponding substantially to the maximum distance between the branchesof fastener 3. This locking member is carried bythe relevant end ofspring strip 4 extending through the lug 15 by engaging an opening 150provided to permit its passage and transverse movements. The springstrip 4 constantly urges the locking member 14 to its locking positionas illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, that is, level with beaks 13a of hooks13. Thus, if the snap-fastener 3 is in its closed position asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, the locking member 14 is engaged betweenthe two branches of fastener 3 so that the latter is locked in itsclosed position.

To permit the opening of fastener 3 it is only necessary to bring thelocking member 14, by moving same in the direction of the arrow 16, toits retracted position as shown in FIG. 6, so that the free end offastener 3 canresiliently be pulled out from said hooks 13. On the otherhand, to permit the automatic opening of snapfastener 3 by simplyactuating the locking member 14 in thedirection of the arrow 16, thebeaks 13a of hooks 13 are so shapped that these hooks cannot retain thefastener 3 in its closed position against the resilient force tending toopen same.

As already mentioned in the foregoing, the snapfastener 3 can be engagedbetween the hooks 13 due to the possibility of moving its two branchestowards each other in a transverse direction. However, the return ofthese branches to their maximum relative spacing must compulsorily beobtained in order to keep the fastener 3 in its closed position, sincethe two branches of fastener 3 must be brought to their position ofengagement with the bottoms of the notches formed in beaks 13a of hooks13. This requirement is met by the provision of the aforesaid lockingmember 14 of which the free end, to which a rounded configuration wasgiven on purpose, causes the branches of fastener 3 to be divaricated asa consequence of the engagement of said locking member therebetween.

To permit the actuation of locking member 14 the spring 4 comprises atits end supporting this locking member an extension 4a constituting thecontrol element of said locking member 14.

said locking member 14, is prevented by the presence of a pair ofnotches 14b pressed in the bridge 2 and registering with the zones ofsaid bridge that are engaged by said branches.

Finally, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring 4 is anchored to theinner surface of bridge 2 at its end op posite to said extension 4a bymeans of a pair of lugs 17 formed by punching or cutting in said bridge2.

Of course, this invention should not be construed as being strictlylimited to the single form of embodiment thereof which is shown anddescribed herein by way of example, since many modifications andvariations may be brought thereto without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is: I y

1. Hair-slide of the type comprising a bridge, a snapfastener and aspring disposed between said bridge and said snap-fastener, wherein thebridge end opposite to that pivoted to said fastener carries fixedhooking members adapted to be resiliently engaged by the free end ofsaid fastener in the closed position thereof, a locking memberresiliently movable and normally retained in its locking position beingprovided for engaging said end of said snap-fastener in thezone of saidhooking members and thus lock the snap-fastener in its closed position.

2. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 1, wherein said snap-fastenerconsists of a wire of resilient material such as metal, bent to ahairpin configuration at its end pivoted to said bridge and having thefree ends of the branches corresponding to the free end of saidsnapfastener capped with an end piece permitting a slight transversemovement thereof towards and away from each other, and said hookingmembers consist of a pair of fixed hooks registering with each otherwith a relative spacing of their beaks which is slightly inferiorto themaximum width of said snap-fastener, said-locking member consisting of adistance piece having a width substantially equal to the maximumrelative spacing obtaining between the two branches of the snap-fastenerforming hairpin, said locking member being carried by spring meansnormally holding this member at the level of said hooks and againstwhich said locking member can be moved towards said bridge to permit theengagement and release of said snap fastener in relation to said hooks.

3. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 2, wherein on the one hand saidsnap-fastener is so shaped that it cannot be moved to its closedposition unless a slight elastic deformation is applied thereto togenerate an elastic force tending to open same, and on the other handthe beaks of said hooks are so shaped that when the locking member is inits retracted position they cannot retain the snap-fastener against theelastic force tending to open same.

4. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 3, wherein said locking member iscarried by the corresponding end of the spring strip provided at saidend with an extension constituting the locking member control element.

5. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 4, wherein said hooks are cut in alug constituting the end portion, bent end in the snap-fastener pivotbearing so as to abut against the support of said bearing when saidsnapfastener is brought to its closed position, before it has actuallyattained said position.

7. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 6, wherein'said locking member isshaped to cause said branches of said snap-fastener to resume theirposition of maximum relative spacing when said branches are engaged bysaid locking member.

1. Hair-slide of the type comprising a bridge, a snap-fastener and aspring disposed between said bridge and said snap-fastener, wherein thebridge end opposite to that pivoted to said fastener carries fixedhooking members adapted to be resiliently engaged by The free end ofsaid fastener in the closed position thereof, a locking memberresiliently movable and normally retained in its locking position beingprovided for engaging said end of said snap-fastener in the zone of saidhooking members and thus lock the snap-fastener in its closed position.2. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 1, wherein said snap-fastenerconsists of a wire of resilient material such as metal, bent to ahairpin configuration at its end pivoted to said bridge and having thefree ends of the branches corresponding to the free end of saidsnap-fastener capped with an end piece permitting a slight transversemovement thereof towards and away from each other, and said hookingmembers consist of a pair of fixed hooks registering with each otherwith a relative spacing of their beaks which is slightly inferior to themaximum width of said snap-fastener, said-locking member consisting of adistance piece having a width substantially equal to the maximumrelative spacing obtaining between the two branches of the snap-fastenerforming hairpin, said locking member being carried by spring meansnormally holding this member at the level of said hooks and againstwhich said locking member can be moved towards said bridge to permit theengagement and release of said snap fastener in relation to said hooks.3. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 2, wherein on the one hand saidsnap-fastener is so shaped that it cannot be moved to its closedposition unless a slight elastic deformation is applied thereto togenerate an elastic force tending to open same, and on the other handthe beaks of said hooks are so shaped that when the locking member is inits retracted position they cannot retain the snap-fastener against theelastic force tending to open same.
 4. Hair-slide as set forth in claim3, wherein said locking member is carried by the corresponding end ofthe spring strip provided at said end with an extension constituting thelocking member control element.
 5. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 4,wherein said hooks are cut in a lug constituting the end portion, bentat right angles, of said bridge, the base of said lug being formed withan opening permitting the passage and movement of said spring extensionsupporting said locking member.
 6. Hair-slide as set forth in claim 5,wherein the elastic force acting upon said snap-fastener in the closedposition thereof and urging same to its open position is produced by aportion, bent substantially at right angles, of the pivoted end of saidsnap-fastener, which is adapted to pivot in an opening formed to thisend in the snap-fastener pivot bearing so as to abut against the supportof said bearing when said snap-fastener is brought to its closedposition, before it has actually attained said position.
 7. Hair-slideas set forth in claim 6, wherein said locking member is shaped to causesaid branches of said snap-fastener to resume their position of maximumrelative spacing when said branches are engaged by said locking member.